BROCKTON – A Brockton resident is seeking to bring a brand new sports complex to the City of Champions.

Jacob Tagger, a resident active in the city’s athletic programs, is spearheading the effort to try to find an investor to construct the facility in the city.

“We’re one of the biggest cities in the state and a sports-rich city,” said Tagger. “There’s no reason why we shouldn’t have something like this.”

On Tuesday, Tagger posted his proposed plan in the Facebook group “The Brockton Hub,” inviting residents interested in trying to bring a sports complex to the city to contact him.

As of Tuesday evening, the post had generated a lively discussion, sparking almost 200 comments. While many residents voiced support for the idea, some remained skeptical about whether the project was feasible.

“The problem in Brockton is that people get negative. Just because something hasn’t been done doesn’t mean it can’t be done,” Tagger said. “It just means you have to push a little harder.”

Tagger, a former candidate for city councilor-at-large, added that the sports complex would address one of the main issues during the campaign -- public safety.

“I am a firm believer in that a big part of public safety is keeping our young people occupied in positive ways,” Tagger said. “It’s a way for these young people to be off the streets year-round.”

However, the sports complex would face some hurdles. For instance, Ward 2 City Councilor Thomas Monahan, one of the residents who joined the Facebook discussion, said the city would be unlikely to contribute funds to the project.

“The city can’t take care of the parks that we have,” Monahan said. “There’s no money for anything like that.”

Despite the lack of city funds, Monahan said it would be “awesome” if Tagger could find a private investor for the project.

Tagger said he would be meeting with Mayor Bill Carpenter in the coming weeks to discuss the project.

Under former Mayor Jack Yunits’ administration, the city sought to construct an indoor sports complex on East Ashland Street at the former site of the Montello Auto Body Shop.

That proposed sports complex would have contained an arena, basketball court and health-and-fitness center.

Although the proposal fell through, Ward 6 City Councilor Michelle DuBois commented on “The Brockton Hub” post saying that she thought the 5-acre parcel on East Ashland Street was still zoned for a sports complex.

Page 2 of 2 - Edward Donga may be reached at edonga@enterprisenews.com.